The Lights No Longer Shine
by rightxhere
Summary: The world was coming to an end. Sheldon & Penny fic.


**Title:** The Lights No Longer Shine **  
Author:** Demelza**  
Fandom:** The Big Bang Theory **  
Disclaimer:** The Big Bang Theory and its characters belong to their owners. No infringements of these copyrights are intended, and are used here without permission purely as a means of entertainment.  
**Spoilers:** Vaguely for '3.20; The Spaghetti Catalyst'  
**Rating: **O15  
**Warnings**: Apocalypse, Character death  
**Word Count:** 1,085 **  
Summary:** The world was coming to an end. **  
A/N:** Um, this fits in with Supernatural's "apocalypse" timeline. The shows don't crossover outside of that, however. I did my best to avoid plot holes, but there may be some, along with some shitty grammar that I proudly stake a claim to! ;) Oh yeah... _please _forgive me.

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Holding his hand to his bloodied side, Sheldon inched his way along the cold alley wall. Failing streetlights and a flashlight had helped him find his way here, to where he hoped he'd find Penny. His left shoulder pressed hard against the wall, his fingers brushed over every damp brick, grasping one after another as he found his way down the alley, toward the dim amber light above a door at a few yards away.

Above the scuffle of his feet, of his tan and brown jacket brushing against the brickwork, he heard the wind. Only, it wasn't wind. It was fire, _hellish fire_, and it raged in his mind. He could see it. Could feel the heat of it.

He remembered things exploding. One minute he and Leonard were on the second floor, rushing down the stairs, and the next he was outside with a stab wound from something, _he didn't know what_, in his side. Fires burned and people were screaming. He struggled but found his way to his feet, desperate to find his best friend, and that's when he'd saw him. Leonard was in the foyer, blocked from the door by hateful flames and debris that had fallen in his and the half dozen other tenants path.

Leonard being burned alive was the last vision Sheldon had of him, and it caused him to stop and fall to his knees.

Tears stung his eyes as pain shot into both legs, and he swallowed, letting his right hand fall heavily to the ground beside him. His breath caught at the impact, and his chest rose and fell heavily for a few quick breaths before slowing.

Sheldon could feel the blood from his wound; the warmth of it as it seeped down, beneath the band of his pants, and he lifted his gaze skyward. There was nothing but blackness. There were no stars, no moon. Light no longer lit the world. The sun, Raj had told him in the hours before his death, had burned out.

Everything, he'd said, was coming to an end.

Friends, colleagues and strangers had died as dark and terrifying things came upon them. Sheldon had found within himself a version he never knew existed inside him. He was terrified. Not of death, but of not keeping his promise to Leonard to find Penny before something bad happened to her too.

He pleaded with the God he wasn't sure he believed in to take all of this away. To bring back those he loved and had lost. But this was it, wasn't it? The end his mom had always preached to him about?

Sheldon leaned his head against the wall, the dampness sending a shiver through his body while tears filled his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, soft and then louder sobs escaping.

Somewhere in the recesses of his memory, he heard a door creak open. He heard barefoot footsteps in water. Sounding louder, closer, and stopping before they reached him. Blearily, he willed his eyes open and tried to focus. It was so dark and his head felt like it was drifting in a different direction than his mind and thoughts.

"Oh God, Sheldon!"

_Penny. _Sweet blonde-haired Penny who made beautiful Penny Blossoms and taught him so many things he'd never had the chance to thank her for.

She reached her hand to his face, and her touch was warm. _She _was warm. He shivered at her touch, opened his eyes wide and focused on her. He tried to speak, but the words fell incoherently. "Every—one...world...ending...gone…"

"I...I know, sweetie." Her voice cracked with indistinguishable pain. His eyes drifted shut again, and opened again when she cupped his face with both her hands, tilting his face toward hers. "_Sheldon,_" she pleaded.

The light from above the door allowed him to see the tears that were running down her cheek, and from her touch he could tell she was trembling; that she was scared. "Please, Sheldon. You have to hold on, please!"

The desperation in her voice made his chest ache. Made him ache in the way it had when he realized he was in love with her. That he had been in love with her since that night when they'd sat in her apartment eating spaghetti and hot dog pieces together. It had been crazy, especially when four nights later he realized his guilty confession to Leonard had been about more than having dinner with Penny, but about _feeling_ for her behind his best friend's back.

That had been three days ago, and now they were here. Not the world was ending, and Leonard, Raj and dozens more people they knew, were dead, and the world...the world was ending, and he couldn't verbalize how he felt.

"Sheldon." Penny dropped her hands to the lapels of his jacket. She gripped them tight, pleading, "You need to hold on, Sheldon. "

He swallowed, catching a slow breath, trying desperately to keep her in focus. "...can't..._Penny_..."

"Goddamn you, you...stubborn bastard!" she cried, shaking her head at him. "Don't do this to me. Please,_ God_, I can't lose the only person I have left. I...I _can't_."

"P-enny..." Sheldon breathed, lifting his left hand slowly and lightly touching her cheek with his fingertips. Her skin was so soft and warm. She closed her eyes and a single tear fell, stopping at his fingertip, and Sheldon used what strength he had left to gently brush it away.

His hand began to slip, and Penny moved, catching his hand in both of hers. Her gaze remained on his, and his breath caught as she lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. She trembled, crying, and he felt more of her tears, warm against the coldness of his skin.

"I always...adored you, Penny."

"Liar," Penny whispered loudly. She shook her head and kissed his palm again before lifting her head and staring tearfully back at him.

Trying to catch enough of a breath to speak, Sheldon whispered, "I'm sorry" back.

"_No_," she insisted, bunching his collar into one of her hands. She pushed against his collarbone, sobbing. "Damn you, Sheldon!"

In his mind, he promised '_I'm sorry'_ over and over until slowly it ceased and he was staring back at her, his mind finally silent for the first time he could remember.

He could _see_ Penny. Could see her beautiful eyes. Her tears, and the way she was gazing back at him. Then, everything fell away from him...everything fell away, and went black.


End file.
